In today's business environment, retailers are pressed to manage operational cost, while improving customer service in the store. New applications—such as automated checkout, integrated voice response, digital media delivery to customer displays, radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies and digital video surveillance analysis—are designed to drive customers to the store and increase wallet share. But they also increase the need for more servers and storage. IBM BladeCenter® systems can help retailers reduce complexity, improve systems management and increase flexibility, while driving down total cost of ownership.
IBM BladeCenter HS12, combined with the IBM BladeCenter S chassis, is the right choice for a distributed network of retail stores that needs an efficient and affordable blade solution for a flexible, consolidated and reliable business foundation.
BladeCenter HS12 blade server—starting at $999—is the first-ever reliable, single-socket server blade at this price point. The BladeCenter HS12 offers:
- Excellent performance for in-store, Intel®-based application workloads, such as point-of-sale controllers or back-office operations.
- Affordable blade servers to replace two-way rack and tower servers.
- Highly reliable and available solutions.
- Flexible storage configurations for virtually all of your application needs and price options.
- Support for the IBM Store Integration Framework applications on Microsoft Windows® and Linux® and, in the future, on the IBM 4690 Operating System for point of sale.
- Lower power and cooling costs compared with traditional 1U/2P rack servers.
BladeCenter S chassis, an all-in-one chassis, is ideal for stores or distributed environments, and:
- Offers up to six blade server bays and supports a wide range of operating systems including, Windows, Linux and IBM AIX® for multiple application workloads.
- Uses standard office power plugs (110V or 220V).
- Provides flexible and modular technology to help avoid the cable mess in the office.
- Is easy-to-deploy, easy-to-use and easy-to-manage.
- Quiets office acoustics and retail hardening for the often-harsh store environment.
The BladeCenter product line offers tools that enable you to monitor and control power consumption. More efficient components and a state-of-the-art mechanical design provide affordable, energy-efficient, performance computing.
